Tuesday, April 26, 2011

I have a lot of passions, not all of them exactly geeky. For instance, cute shoes. Which sort of leads into my post: I've been making note of different fashions around my little city, and I've decided that I'm going to try to guess What's Hot for Spring! Seriously, if I'm right, I might have a gift or something. I'll deserve to be on retainer as a consultant for some fashion magazine, and they will pay me in cute shoes and Dr. Pepper.

First up: what I have deemed as Neon Chic!

Pairing bright colors with neutral tones for really cute, eye-catching outfits and accessories. I took note of this first when I passed by a girl sporting a super cute pair of sunglasses, in neon yellow. I hate neon colors, but these rocked! Then, not long after, a woman wearing a sort of lime green blouse, with a cute beige pencil skirt and beige leather pumps walked by. I can see this catching on quick!

Next: Roman Cute Shoes

This strappy style can dress up an outfit, or just make it flirty. And it's everywhere!

And last but not least: Free Flowing Tops!

Pair these with more form fitting skirts or leggings, and you are ready to be the hottest thing to walk the sidewalks, whether it's in the university, or while shopping for more clothes in a chic boutique! (By the way, ignore some of the models. They make the cute clothes look less cute. Just notice the clothes!!)

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Ever since I can remember, I've had this insatiable curiosity to explore things. When I was very small, I climbed around with my sister in an old creek behind our house, finding rocks, holes, and new places to look at. If it seemed out of reach, I would try to reach it through any way I could, including shimmying across fallen tree trunks and jumping onto half-submerged rocks. Unbelievably, I only fell twice. Once, when I was four. Another time, when I got distracted. That was a larger tumble, but I stood up from the bottom of the creek (having just rolled down many feet of large boulders and jagged rocky outcroppings) and simply said I was okay. No blood, no broken bones, no pain.

When I was seven my family went to visit friends in Utah. We climbed up canyon walls and crawled through tunnels; looked around small caves; explored old Native American dwellings with other folk there for the touristy stuff. At one point, our dads and all of us girls went all over exploring on our own on a separate day. The one moment that sticks in my mind the most is when I looked to the horizon and asked what "those buildings" were. They were Native American houses, built right into the rock wall of a mountain. Excited, I asked if we could go see. Next thing I remember, we were on our way. Through tall brush that reached my waist, until we came to a barbed wire fence and a sign. NO TRESPASSING. Ha. My dad and his friend held the barbed wire and helped us girls climb or crawl over and through the fence, then stepped over it themselves and followed. We had been walking a few minutes;we were getting so close! And I was so excited. Then we heard gun shots. I don't remember what was said or how we got back to the fence, but I remember being picked up and practically tossed over the barbed wire. We made it back to the car, and I laughed, exclaiming, "That was *awesome*!" Our dads laughed at fearless Geek Girl.

When I moved to my current home city, a friend of mine told me of a haunted, abandoned building. All set to go, we made it almost there. There was a catch, however. He stopped the car beside an old house and got out. I followed his example and got out of the car I was in. My sister, the driver, refused to budge. Apparently, we had to walk from where we were. I almost grabbed a flash flight from him, but then my sister insisted she would stay. She was too freaked out. Well, one does not leave a sister behind. So, we got back in the cars and left. I still want to go check that place out. . .

Recently, we took a tour of an old battleship here in town. Of course, there are dozens of sectioned off hallways, doorways, stairways, and rooms. At one point, I was craning my neck, struggling to see down one darkened, roped off hallway. DO NOT CROSS. "What do you think is down there," I asked my dad. He gave a nonchalant shrug and replied, "Go see." So I did.

Not long after I went on my little exploring mission, one minute tops, a voice on the intercom announced that we cannot cross ropes and chains. "This is for your safety." We laughed.

The point of all this is, I've always had this penchant for getting into new places, exploring, discovering. And there's a word for the hobby now! Urban Exploration. ;)

Monday, April 18, 2011

In my previous post, I mentioned being sick (still sick) and all the things I was using to help myself become a healthier person, because hey - a healthy body and mind = a healthy immune system. I've been adhering to all of my self-imposed challenges with a lot of help from my pal, the iPhone. I thought it would be appropriately geeky to give a run down of the apps I'm using to help me in the process of becoming a healthier person. And yes, they are all free!

Workouts - Workouts is a collection of 5 and 10 minute workout videos from Youtube. You choose which one you want to use, and go to town. My current faves out of the long list is the 5 minute warm-up, the 5 minute butt workout, the 5 minute kick-boxing cardio, and the 10 minute no equipment workout. On top of these awesome, provided videos, it has 10 or so spaces where you can link your very own personal Youtube favorite workout; then just open the app, tap on your video, and away it goes!

Waterlogged - Waterlogged is pretty simple. You can take a picture of your favorite glass or mug, input how many ounces it holds, and save it. When you use your glass, you go to the app, tap "record drink" and find your glass. Tap record again, et viola! It shows you how much water you have had, and how much more you need to go to reach the recommended 64 ounces. It even has a tall glass that visually adds "water" so you can see how far you've come. It also provides you with a reminder at the time specified: I set mine for the afternoon because that's when I'm least likely to drink it. My personal best? 21 ounces. Lol. That's almost there! :P

Healthy Eating - Healthy Eating concentrates more on eat your food groups, instead of calories, carbs, etc. I went online to find my recommended intake of calories. You set that sucker up, and it shows you your food groups and how much you need in your diet to meet your dietary needs. It even gives you an idea of what a serving is, and helpful "favorites" to give you something to try. To record what you've eaten, just tap the picture: the apple to record your fruits, the carrot to record your veggies, and so. I like it because I can see my goal being achieved right in front of me.

Optumize Me - Optumize Me (I'm spelling it the way THEY spell it, so leave it alone!)is more of a social app. Other users come up with "challenges." You can choose to join the challenges, and record your progress. The app will give you awards for achieving different things, and shows your progress via a progress bar under each challenge you belong to. Currently, I am doing the "H2You challenge" - drink 64 ounces a day (because, why not feel accomplished TWICE?), the "Sleep Early" challenge - go to bed every night before midnight for a year. This one has been tough, but I've managed well so far; the "Park Further" challenge - Just park in the first spot you come to, basically causing you to walk further to reach class, the store, or whatever; the "Cleaning" challenge - clean your house for four hours every week. Cleaning is not only a good form of productive exercise, your house will always look good! I actually love this app and have recently joined a new challenge on positive thinking, which will start in 2 days.

Last, but not least, is the Passometer. The Passometer is just a pedometer; it counts your steps, it times you, it shows how fast you are walking currently and your average pace in mph, it shows you how many calories you've burned during that walk, and the distance in feet you have gone. Today, I walked a collective 1022 steps, burning 20.35 calories, at an average speed of 1.39 mph (a lot of times I had to slow down, because I use stairs.) I walked half a mile. Not bad, considering it was all my normal walking that I do to get to and from classes and work. Also, it didn't record my steps when I got to school because I pushed the wrong button, so it's a little off today.

I'm allowed to have a goal, reasonable or not!

So, those are my health apps. I'm the kind of person that likes to be healthy for the immune system perks, the strength perks, and the endurance perks. Let me put it in these terms: if the zombipocalypse were to occur soon, I want to be the person to survive because I'm too tough to catch, able to leap into open doorways or out of windows in a single bound, and able to fight off whatever gosh awful bug makes everyone else go mad. Being able to wield a giant ax wouldn't hurt, either.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

The hubs and I enjoy Netflix, as does pretty much everyone else in this great nation of streaming TV and movies. It's one of the best things to think of something you've always wanted to see and find it streaming, to watch at your leisure. Sometimes Netflix's "suggestions for you" are a bit off, but sometimes they're amazingly spot on. Take for example, Farscape, the great Australian-American science fiction series. I loved watching that as teen, and of course immediately added it to my instant queue. Which sparked an adding frenzy of all the old goodies. Sliders, The X-files (David Duchovny is the awesome), Firefly, Xena: Warrior Princess, and then, because it happened to pop into my head:RainbowBrite! My sister and I would re-rent and re-watch that movie over and over and over again. I remember we would choose our favorite characters, who we would be if we were Rainbow Brite and friends. I can't remember what I wanted to be, but my sister wanted to be her horse, Starlite.

What a treasure trove of awesomeness right on my laptop! It's so exciting it makes me want to heat up some hot chocolate, wrap up in a thick quilt, and lay down on the floor to enjoy my favorite TV shows as I once did so many years ago.

Monday, April 11, 2011

I have been sick for the past couple of days, and it just so happened to coincide with the week that tests and OMG A PRESENTATION!! are due. That little freak out? In the previous sentence? That was in real time. I just remembered about the presentation. I was supposed to give it last Monday, but my professor has been sick, so I'm assuming this week will be the week she decides that I'm not too sick to reschedule. :/ Anywho, I've decided to outline the lifeline of the common cold, as experienced by me, because I'm bored and relieved my first test is done with, and I'm sick, so I'm allowed to complain.

In the beginning, all you notice is that your throat feels funny. It's not sore, it's just - weird. It might itch, or be sore, but pretty soon you're coughing.

Next day, you start to get snotty. Not too bad, but along with the snot comes the realization that you are indeed getting sick, and that you're body is letting you know by letting you feel crappy.

After that, you wake up with enough mucus to drown a walrus, a barking cough, and a head-ache. You miss church.

Next day, surprise! It's Monday. You actually can't miss today, because you have a test. A test for which you tried to study for the day before, but you just felt too crappy and ended up laying down in a cool room. So, hacking and coughing and sniffling and throat clearing loudly, you go to your school's library and study for 3 hours, all the while listening to sounds of rain and thunder on your iPhone because the library is more of a social place than a study place for these students, and you can't concentrate when there are so many conversations. Also, you can't hear how loud you're being, which makes blowing your nose/coughing, and throat clearing less embarrassing. I KNOW they can hear me, and they are thinking what I would be thinking, mainly, "Go home, you sick loser! No one wants your germs! Why are you here?!" but I soldier on through studying and the test.

Home, food, bed. In that order. Wake up from a relatively short nap to find that you are snottier, coughy-er, and achier than when you went to sleep. Also, if you don't have something good to drink soon, you may die.

I hate being sick.

So I've implemented a plan. I will now eat the suggested servings of fruits, veggies, meats, nuts, and dairy for my weight everyday. It's been three days running, and I'm doing pretty good. I'm also going to begin working out, three times a week. I haven't begun this part of the plan, as I am currently too sick to breathe, let alone do kick-boxing. I am also increasing my water consumption. From nothing. Today I have had 9 ounces. And yes, there is an app for all of these plans. Yay apps!

Saturday, April 9, 2011

The hubby and I are house-sitting for a friend, and that requires that we stay for awhile. They have three cats and an ancient dog; all of them require food early in the morning (6:30 AM) and early evening (again 6:30). On top of that, the dog needs medication morning and night, as well. So, we've been staying n the house, catching glimpses of the two shy kitties, Ernie and Suki, and talking to the brazen kitty, Helen, and being careful of Missy, the dog so old she could probably tell us stories about "the good ol' days" when Full House played in the early afternoons and the ice cream man actually stopped and gave you ice cream for a dime.

The point of all of that set-up was to tell you about the terror I was confronted with when I went to take a shower in the house, which is rather old so bugs are something that must be confronted, I suppose. Anyway, I turned on the light and *tried to* gasp. I say *tried to* because I have a bit of a cold, and my throat is dry, hoarse, and pretty much useless right now, so the best I could do was squeak almost inaudibly. As a result, my husband didn't exactly come running. He didn't really coming running when I sprinted back into the bedroom and squeaked "There's a huge freaking bug in the bathtub!" either. But he did get up, and . . . the bug was gone when we went back into the bathroom. THE BUG WAS GONE!

Actually, this might do it justice.

We searched everywhere, and the hubs even ran the faucet for a few seconds in case it was hiding in the drain, but I've already told him I will not take a shower until he does and comes out unbitten/unstung/unattacked.

So, I sometimes like to play random point'n'click games that don't take long, you know - just to kill some time and whatnot. I know myself, and I know that starting a game of Myst is like signing away at least 4 hours of my day, so sometimes I make do with online casual games *gasp*. I found one today that I quite enjoyed. It was a fun diversion, and I thought it had great graphics and a sweet interface. It took me maybe ten minutes to get through, and I was very disappointed to find it has only 1 installment, whereas 10 installments are currently in the wings. But, as indie game creators, the makers are asking for donations. If you play and enjoy the game, or just support the indie gaming movement, maybe you should donate! Here's the link. ;) Make me a happy Geek Girl!

P.S. Their goal is quite . . . expansive, and they are nowhere near it. With less than a month to go I will not get my hopes up, but still!

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

I was carting my giant purse around today and realized that although it was heavy, I felt as though everything in it was essential for the day. I know not everyone would have the same detritus in their purses/bags/backpacks, but that's what makes me a geek, and YOU a normal person. So, a list! Not a top ten for Tuesday, but close enough.

Inside my bag:

1. Outside, left pocket - three different pens and my iPhone. Keeping my phone close at hand is a MUST everyday, but if I threw it into the main part of my bag, there is a possibility I would never find it again.

2. Outside, right pocket - enough spare change to purchase a myriad of delicious snacks and beverages in case of emergencies, like 2 minutes until class but I'm starving/thirsty/need caffeine!

3. Inside, hidden pocket - lip balm, cherry Chapstick, and a tiny vial of white jasmine perfume. I suffer from chapped lips and I also have this stupid habit of biting my lips, which contributes to chapped lips. Also, the little perfume smells amazing and is "supposed" to relieve stress.

A book of cryptograms - because they're fun and entertaining and I like puzzles.

A huge spiral bound, college ruled notebook, with two inside pockets - because you don't go to college without taking notes if you want to be an A student. At least, I don't.

A planner - I usually use my phone for dates and times and important events, especially since it has a way to send an "alert" to remind me of the event/paper/project. However, there is just something very satisfying to crossing something physically off of a list.

A large gray wallet - because every girl needs a place to keep the dozens of little rectangular cards that identify her, her insurance, her bank, etc.

Medicine - because I take some.

What's in YOUR purse? Do you carry anything unique or have a favorite item you wouldn't leave home without?

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Usually, when general conference rolls around, I start out with the intention to listen, but if I don't engage myself, or have a strict goal in mind, I usually end up with sleeping, or doing other things, which end up distracting me. But I recently started following quite an inspiring blog by a woman who has so many good tips and ideas, as well as just fun posts, so I decided to follow her trail.

She had these packets, which she said she used during conference, and offered them up freely. They had pictures of the prophet and other likely speakers, as well as lines to write about covering the topic and any "ah-ha" moments you might have. She suggested a Friend page for littler ones. Naturally, I went there. Lol.

I printed out a packet for conference, each page giving space for writings or drawings for each speaker. It also gave ideas at the beginning, such as "What would you like to learn from this conference?" And an afterward of how to better use what you have learned. I printed these out, then sat directly in front of my laptop, and watched as well as listened. And I wrote. I was even impressed upon to write out a testimony concerning enduring, which I plan on giving next Sunday. (I may chicken out; we'll see).

All in all, I felt like I really gained from this conference, and I plan on doing much the same for following conferences, because my goals (which are personal) are always going to need to be rebuilt and built upon. I can now join others in saying I love the feeling conference gives me. :)